Gen Z swaps alcohol for cannabis in rising ‘California Sober’ trend
Fox News’ Mark Meredith joins ‘America’s Newsroom’ to break down the growing ‘California Sober’ trend among Gen Z, how increased cannabis use may be driving down alcohol consumption and the possible risks, including dependency.
The Oakland Ballers, an independent professional baseball team in Oakland, California, says it will host a "family-friendly" cannabis game night July 31.
The team is partnering with Oaksterdam University, the nation's first cannabis college, for the event on "Grateful Dead Night."
The team will temporarily rebrand as the "Oaksterdam Blazers" and wear uniforms featuring the moniker.
"The game marks a historic first in professional baseball as the Ballers become the first professional team to partner with and celebrate the legal cannabis industry during a live game," the team wrote in a press announcement in June.
FORMER MLB OWNER CLAIMS 'DESPICABLE' SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS ARE THE REASON THE A'S LEFT OAKLAND
The Oakland Ballers play Ogden Raptors during opening night at Raimondi Park in Oakland, Calif., May 20, 2025. (Scott Strazzante/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)
The event originally began as an April Fools' Day joke, the team said, but enthusiastic fan response drove leadership to turn the stunt into reality.
According to the organization, the July 31 event will be "safe, inclusive and age-appropriate." Adults 21 and older are invited to board a tour bus at 10 a.m. PT to visit a local dispensary and participate in a lounge crawl featuring Oakland-certified cannabis businesses.
"More than a party bus, the experience will highlight the entrepreneurs, advocates and community leaders who fought to build Oakland’s legal cannabis industry and continue to shape its future today. For those looking to experience the full day, this is the place to start," the team said.
BALTIMORE ORIOLES TAP DRAG QUEEN AS GUEST SPLASHER IN KID-FRIENDLY BIRD BATH ZONE FOR PRIDE NIGHT
The Oakland Ballers' Jake Dahle greets a young fan before the inaugural home opener at Raimondi Park in Oakland, Calif., June 4, 2024. (Scott Strazzante/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)
The Ballers emphasized that while the lounge crawl is strictly for adults, the goal at the ballpark is to create an environment that remains suitable for families.
"Any content activations connected to the cannabis industry will be opt-in and require 21+ verification," the team added.
Oaksterdam University also promoted the event on its website, calling it the "first family-friendly cannabis industry event in America."
An "Oakland Will Never Quit" banner hangs on a fence during the Oakland Ballers' inaugural home opener against the YOLO High Wheelers at Raimondi Park in Oakland, Calif., June 4, 2024. (Scott Strazzante/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)
CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE
"We thought this was a one-day joke. Then the internet did what the internet does and turned it into a public demand," Oakland Ballers CEO Paul Freedman said in a statement shared with Fox News Digital. "At a certain point, we had two choices: disappoint thousands of fans or create a cannabis-themed baseball identity. Obviously, we chose the more responsible option. Partnering with Oaksterdam made it even easier. The Oakland Blazers are a celebration of Oakland creativity, Oakland culture, and the fact that sometimes the best business strategy is admitting your April Fools' joke was better than your actual plans. We're especially proud that merchandise sales will help support The ONE and Oaksterdam's work expanding education and opportunity in the community that helped build this industry."
"Oakland and Oaksterdam have always moved first on the things everyone else is too nervous to touch," Dale Sky Jones, Chancellor and CEO of Oaksterdam University, said in a statement shared with Fox News Digital. "People resist it, then they live with it, then one day nobody remembers why it was controversial at all. That's what's happening with cannabis and family life right now. The same adults who use cannabis responsibly are the ones coaching their kids' teams, on PTA, and showing up to school pickup. We're not asking anyone to pretend that cannabis and kids mix. We're showing how an industry holds both things at once: adults doing adult things in adult spaces, and a baseball game everyone's family can enjoy."
Although the event is being billed as a historic first, other professional sports teams have formally partnered with cannabis industries in the past. In 2024, the Portland Pickles became the first U.S. sports team to sell THC products at a live sporting event, according to the team.
MLB also became the first major professional sports league to sign a sponsorship agreement with a CBD company in 2022.
The Oakland Ballers did not immediately return Fox News Digital's request for comment.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
The event highlights the California city's long history at the center of the marijuana legalization movement.
California became the first U.S. state to legalize pot for medical use in 1996. In 2004, Oakland made history by becoming the first U.S. city to formally permit and regulate medical cannabis dispensaries.
In 2016, California voters legalized recreational marijuana use for adults statewide through Proposition 64.
